In one of my Communications classes, I was recently asked to analyze the teachings of a particular media source. I chose my guilty pleasure, a reality television show, and dissected the subliminal messages it preaches. Here is what I came up with...what do you think?

Every Sunday evening, I look forward to crawling into bed and indulging in the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" on the Bravo Network. After what is usually a full day of completing school assignments, this show provides a means for calming my mind and easing my anxieties. Although I use this program as an escape from my academics, it may actually be subliminally teaching me a thing or two. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" projects messages onto its audience that can potentially both positively and negatively impact their perspectives of culture, gender roles, and societal norms.

On a recent episode, the ladies attended a fashion show where a portion of the proceeds was donated to a charitable organization. While the television program wants the viewer to believe these women are doing such a wonderful thing by contributing to a charity, the reality is that their main motive in attending the event is to see friends, preview the latest styles, which they will soon purchase, and enjoy free drinks along with a five-course meal. In fact, I do not believe they even mentioned the specific organization the event was benefitting! Their monetary contribution is the way they justify being good citizens and how they validate themselves. As Greg Dickinson states in his article titled, "Selling Democracy," these "'civic-minded' [women] can have pleasure, style, and civility all in one simple purchase" (280). These housewives are so caught up in their own personal agendas, they assume that someone else will pick up the slack and resolve the important issues. So by just giving some money, they believe they are making a fine contribution because other individuals will become enabled to foster the needed change. In watching this episode, the viewer loses the idea that there are many ways to participate in society that are void of consumption, such as volunteering their time or conducting some research to actually become knowledgeable and passionate about an issue.

The "plot" of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" usually entails luxurious shopping sprees, fine dining, and lavish celebrations. It portrays the women as having achieved the good life through the continual consumption of material goods. Although they live in enormous homes and have everything they could ever need, it simply is not enough. In Susan Strasser's article titled, " The Alien Past," she states, "...manufactures convince consumers to buy more of what they already have by offering more options" (386). These women epitomize that point, as they revel in newness and frequently buy updated versions of items they already possess. This also conveys the idea of commodity fetish, whereby the women are ignorant of the items social relations, its origins and the resources and labor that it required. Rather, these commodities just become things that promote their social status and happiness. Price is never discussed and the viewer is led to believe that the more products purchased, the better life will be.

While the show unfortunately fosters negative messages in regards to citizenship and consumption, it also cultivates positive statements about family and gender roles. The importance of family is made clear through the strong bonds between the women and their husbands and children. They often come together for family meals and openly communicate through in depth conversations about issues going on in the workplace and at school. This season, one of the housewives named Teresa, has been working diligently to repair the relationship with her brother. These acts convey to the viewer that people can overcome obstacles and the love and support found in family can prevail. With so many broken homes in this country, it is important to highlight perseverance and hope in this context.

This show also does a nice job of emphasizing the strength and power women possess. It illustrates that this is no longer a male dominated world, as these women are involved in successful business ventures and highly regarded projects. While I recognize that their husbands have also been quite successful and probably laid the foundation for their wealth, these women have exercised great ambition and worked hard to achieve many of their goals. For example, Teresa wrote a couple of cookbooks, which both made it onto the New York Times Best Seller list. Young women who watch this show may feel empowered after seeing what ordinary females were capable of accomplishing.

I believe the producers of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" need to shift the focus of the shows content. There should be an even greater emphasis on the family bonds and achievements of these women and much less focus on the material goods they purchase and events they attend. While we the viewers may not mind how the show is currently constructed, the underlying messages can subconsciously impact our future behaviors and decisions; therefore, it is important that the messages being presented are as constructive as possible. Thankfully, through my Communications 411 class, I have become much more media literate and have the ability to see beyond the surface and dissect the shows subliminal messages; however, that may not be the case for many of the shows viewers...

Growing up, I loved Sunday mornings when I had the opportunity to crawl into bed with my parents and watch a cartoon or two. No, my Mom and Dad did not watch cartoons on a daily basis, but they did this especially for me, as it was sort of an opportunity for family bonding. At this young and innocent age, I would not have been able to comprehend a show like "Meet the Press," and a cartoon seemed more age appropriate; however, I now realize that even these programs were exposing me to quite mature and controversial issues.

I was truly shocked yesterday, when in one of my communications classes, we began to discuss the hidden messages embedded in cartoons. Unlike a movie or television show, everything in a cartoon is constructed and exists as a code. Sometimes an actors true feelings or mannerisms permeate into a character; however, with animation, there are no accidents and every movement and characteristic displayed is intentional.

So when we look at Bugs Bunny for instance, what do we see? A male rabbit, right? Yet how do we know he is actually male? Since cartoon characters are mostly male-oriented, an assumption just evolves. Females are represented as very passive and are either there to act as eye candy or comedic relief. Since Bugs is never a passive recipient of action and always is proactive in solving a problem, we believe the rabbit must be a male. Yet in order for Bugs to remedy an issue, he often dresses in drag and takes on a different persona. Yet never once growing up did I, or I'm sure many others, question this behavior. The animation un-grounds it from everyday life and it is already so fantastical that we do not think twice when we watch an animal switch gender roles. Yet when a transgender person such as Chaz Bono is announced as a contestant on the popular show "Dancing With the Stars," many people are in an uproar and find it inappropriate.

Is it possible that the Bugs Bunny Americans have adored for decades is gay or transgender? Back in the 50's when these cartoons were coming to light, these issues were not accepted, let alone openly discussed in public. No one would ever think something on public television and geared for a young audience would convey Bugs Bunny as a homosexual. These cartoons have done a phenomenal job of undermining cultural norms at a very subliminal level. The writers and animators of these programs have succeeded in producing works that are embraced by so many yet transmit huge societal critiques...it's amazing! As I become more media literate and develop and perfect my skills of dissecting and analyzing media, I will gain such wonderful insight and perspective such as this. I hope I have helped you to become enlightened as well...

On a side note: I'd like to wish all of my Jewish followers and friends a very HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR. May it be full of hope, love, and success.

In one of my recent Communications classes, we discussed the relationship between advertisers and the public. We were asked to write about a particular media and explore the effects its advertising, deliberate or not, had on its audience. I chose to focus on a particular reality television show and the text that follows are the thoughts I composed. Enjoy!

I have to admit that one of my biggest guilty pleasures is reality television. From "The Real Housewives" series on Bravo to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" on the E Network, my DVR is frequently working hard. In recent years, reality television has become all the rage. Many sitcoms and series have been cancelled and replaced by these shows, which are much cheaper for the networks to produce; however, they are creating a much greater cost for the viewer. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is a show that lures in the viewership of young women and promotes a lavish and luxurious lifestyle through its content, as well as the commercials that are interwoven into the programming every eight minutes.

At the end of a long evening of studying, I love to crawl into bed and watch an episode of the Kardashians. It feels like an escape, a way to relax my mind and become engrossed in people's lives that have no resemblance to my own. As the girls travel around the world, dine in five-star restaurants, and go on shopping sprees where price tags are never glanced at, as a viewer, I cannot help but want to attain that lifestyle one day. The show attracts its audience of young women through its "plot," which always emphasizes the beauty, sex appeal, love, and luxury the Kardashian girls encompass. It has a casual and at times comedic tone that makes watching an enjoyable and mindless experience after what may have been a long or difficult day for the viewer.

"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" clearly puts the audience into a consuming mood because it portrays material goods and extravagant surroundings as being the pathway to happiness, love, and fulfillment. The segments of the show are followed by commercials that are often related to its content. For instance, just last night I watched an episode and even though I had recorded it and could fast forward through the commercials, I still saw glimpses of advertisements for Khloe Kardashians perfume, the Kardashian clothing line in stores now at Sears, and a television special next month on Kim Kardashian's recent wedding. In an article we read for class titled, "News Media and Society," Smythe states it best, "The work which audience members perform for the advertiser to whom they have been sold is to learn to buy particular 'brands' of consumer goods, and to spend their income accordingly..."(137). So after watching the day to day lives of the Kardashians through this show, the viewer feels they can have a piece of it if they buy the products and attain the materials that these girls possess. It would make no sense for the network to advertise products geared toward men or seniors during this time slot because it is safe to assume that they are not primarily viewing the program. The media sells an audience, in this case of young women, to the advertisers. Then the advertisers cater to those particular viewers interests and desires in the hopes of keeping them attentive and yielding an effect of consumption.

Even if the viewer is to completely ignore the commercials, they are still being sold various goods. Anytime the girls eat something on the show or use a specific item, it is an endorsement for that product. Young women that admire Kim's body or Kourtney's perfect skin are going to think, "Maybe if I eat that bread or use that cleanser, I'll become more like them." These product placements are not necessarily always planned yet they have an impact on the audience.

While "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and other reality television shows are saving networks money, I would argue the viewer may potentially be at a financial loss. Although the program is free to view, the lifestyle and coinciding products being promoted within and around the context of the show are putting the audience in a spending mood! To achieve a similar kind of living to that of the Kardashian family, we want to emulate their style, food choices, and travel experiences. It is around these items and ideas that the advertising dollars are placed and we as an audience are allured. Although I recognize such pitfalls, I will not refrain from indulging in these programs...what about you?

In a recent Communications class, we discussed television's Food Network. Food is no longer viewed as simply fulfilling a biological need. Rather, it is representative of who we are. Our society views massive consumption as an indicator of having achieved the good life. The more pristine your kitchen and the more luxurious food you consume, the better off you are. If you notice, most shows on the Food Network are filmed on sets and in environments that are quite extravagant and pristine; therefore, these programs are selling more than recipes by utilizing them. However, I would like to argue that in recent years, the Food Network has definitely begun to cater more to the viewer's reality. There are shows such as "Semi-Homemade," "30 Minute Meals," and "Hungry Girl," all of which promote accessible ingredients and quick and easy cooking for the working parent or even college student. I'll come back to this, but let me digress a moment...

For many years I used food as a way to manage the stress and pressures of life. I would either eat large amounts of food to feel better, as it sort of buried my emotions and was a way of escaping reality for a few minutes, or eliminate eating, as it was one less thing to think about and something which I had total control over in my life. It did not take long to realize that although these behaviors provided comfort in the short run, they were extremely detrimental to my health and well-being. To combat this awful coping mechanism, I now set aside an hour or so on the weekends and plan out my meals for the upcoming week. When the chaos of classes and other obligations ensue, it is one less thing I have to worry about because it has already been mapped out. There is no chance that I will restrict or binge to cope with what life throws my way. While I remain extremely health conscious and slightly obsessed, always reading labels, making comparisons, and researching, I have found that nutrition and cooking are things that I am really passionate about! I rarely go out to eat or grab food on the go because I like knowing how my food is made and exactly what's in it, and love the whole process of shopping for groceries and preparing my meals.

Personally, I love watching shows on the Food Network. I am well aware that I may not have the same type of pans or décor as these television personalities yet they help spark ideas for recipes and creative uses for various food items. As an extremely healthy eater, I like the challenge of watching these cooks prepare a meal and then refining it to make it more figure-friendly and compatible with what I have on hand in my own kitchen. I definitely believe that what you cook and eat is a reflection of who you are and I love experimenting and exploring that, sometimes with a little inspiration from the Food Network.

I have included a photo of a dinner that I made just a couple nights ago for myself. It is a homemade turkey burger that is comprised of 99% fat free, organic ground turkey, sautéed onions, spinach, and grated Parmesan cheese. I topped it with all-natural cranberry chutney and served it atop organic spring mix and alongside a baked sweet potato sprinkled with cinnamon. Are you hungry yet??